Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday vowed to remain in the capital as his country’s military fought advancing Russian troops in the north of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian president has said that him and his family had been marked as the primary and secondary targets by the Russians.
According to the latest foreign media reports, the Russian military has made incursions into Ukrainian territory from the north, east and south.
Around 100,000 people have fled as strikes and explosions were witnessed in various cities of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president has said that 137 people were killed on the first day of the invasion.
Foreign media reported that Russian paratroopers had landed in the northern outskirts of Kyiv early Friday, while fighting for the strategic Antonov Airport in Kyiv’s north is ongoing.
Russia on Thursday, February 24, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with its land forces attacking Ukraine’s northern and western borders and launching an amphibious assault on its southern coast.
According to latest reports, the Chernobyl nuclear plant has been captured in Ukraine. AFP reported that the Ukrainian presidency announced that the plant has been captured by the Russian military.
As per the Times of Israel, the Russian troops had also captured the Antonov airport just outside Kyiv. Citing a CNN correspondent on the ground, the media outlet said that Russian airborne forces had taken over the airport.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry also reportedly confirmed that its military had destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases.
Earlier, the Russian military was trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Thursday that, “Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl [Nuclear Power Plant]. Our defenders are sacrificing their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated.” The Ukrainian National Guard was reportedly working to defend the power plant.
Around the same time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that a Russian attack could yield another devastating “ecological disaster”.
Previously during the day, the media also reported that Russian strikes involving use of long-range missiles continued to target airports and military infrastructure across Ukraine. Russian troops have launched assaults towards Kyiv from Ukraine’s northern border, Kharkiv from the western border, and northwards from the Crimean Peninsula.
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